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This Healthy Chicken Enchilada Soup is low in calories, packed with protein and has delicious flavors that will make you feel oh-so-good! It practically has everything you love about enchiladas in a bowl of soup! Plus, you’ll only be dirtying up one pot, which is a BIG plus!
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All you need is 30 minutes and one pot to make this hearty and wholesome meal that you can enjoy all throughout the year. It’s a great crowd pleaser, and you can batch-make and freeze it too- it’s perfect for meal prepping. Plus, it’s really versatile, so flavorful and packed with protein and nutrition.
This healthy enchilada soup recipe is a must try along with high protein enchiladas, turkey enchilada soup, homemade healthy enchilada sauce and chicken tortilla soup!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: Incredibly delicious and easy to make, the soup is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
- Healthy and heart soup: Packing in 29 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving, this enchilada chicken soup will keep you full for long. It's also much lower in calories than most shredded chicken soup recipes.
- So versatile: It’s versatile too - you can swap and play around with the ingredients, and make it in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot too. It's a great addition to any Mexican meal!
Healthy Enchilada Soup Ingredients
- Chicken: Chicken breast, pre-cooked and shredded. I love relying on my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken for this, and lots of other recipes.
- Veggies: I used some fresh garlic and onion for the flavor, and some diced bell peppers to bulk up the soup. I like green peppers but you can use any color you have.
- Enchilada sauce: Red enchilada sauce is the best choice here! Choose your favorite packaged variety or make your own healthy enchilada sauce, which is SO much healthier! You can also use green enchilada sauce for a different flavor profile.
- Chicken broth: This will be the base of the soup. Use a low or no sodium variety for more control over the sodium. You can also use vegetable broth if prefer. I'd only recommend beef broth if you swap the chicken for shredded or ground beef.
- Diced tomatoes: Use any kind of diced tomatoes here. If you don’t have the canned tomatoes, dice some fresh tomatoes and use them instead.
- Green chiles: I used canned green chilies for some mild heat. You can leave them out or sub in diced jalapenos for a spicier flavor.
- Seasonings: To season, I used some cumin and salt. You can add other seasonings of your choice too.
- Cauliflower rice: This is an optional ingredient. I love adding it to add volume, more fiber and make the meal more filling. You can't even taste it in the recipe. Use my cauliflower rice recipe or grab a bag of frozen. .
- Arrowroot powder: To thicken the soup. If you can’t find this, use cornstarch or tapioca flour. I wouldn’t advise skipping this as the soup will likely be watery if you do.
- Toppings: To top the soup, I used some freshly squeezed lime juice (use lemon juice if that’s what you have), some sliced avocados and fresh cilantro.
- Olive oil: I always use extra virgin olive oil whenever I can, to keep it healthy. Feel free to swap it with any oil you prefer.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Meat swap: Swap the chicken breast for any protein that you enjoy. Shrimp, cod, salmon, lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, ground chicken, turkey breast, vegetarian ground meat, tofu or tempeh are all good choices.
- Vegetarian: To make this recipe vegetarian, swap the chicken breast for vegetarian ground meat, tofu or tempeh and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You can also use cooked beans or lentils as the protein as well.
- Mix-ins: This soup is great with a complex carbohydrate like rice, quinoa, frozen corn or canned beans. Add what you have into the mix, and taste and adjust the seasoning too.
- Veggie packed: Add other veggies like corn, broccoli, carrots, celery, zucchini and mushrooms to the soup mixture to add bulk to it. This can be a great way to use up any leftover veggies you have.
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ready to try the best chicken enchilada soup recipe? Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Step 1: Saute veggies: Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until the veggies are fragrant.
Step 2: Make soup base: Add the arrowroot or cornstarch to coat the veggies. Slowly pour the broth over the veggies while whisking to prevent lumps until the sauce thickens and all the starch has been combined.
Step 3: Add sauces & seasonings: Add the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, chiles and cumin. Stir and bring the pot to a boil.
Step 4: Finish and serve: Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer. Add the pre-cooked chicken breast to the pot with the lime juice. Simmer for another 5 minutes then serve garnished with avocado slices and cilantro.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store the leftover chicken enchilada soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This soup will also freeze well in an airtight container or plastic storage bag for up to 3 months. Be sure to fully cool the soup to room temperature prior to freezing.
- Reheating: Before reheating, make sure you defrost the soup the night before in the refrigerator (if it was frozen). You can reheat it in a pot on the stovetop for 15 minutes or in the microwave, pausing every 15-20 seconds to stir the bowl, until it has warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
- Consider topping the enchilada soup with some low fat cheese (or Parmesan cheese) to add some extra deliciousness to it. If you want to keep it healthier, mix some Greek yogurt into the soup towards the end for a creamier finish.
- Enjoy a bowl of this healthy enchilada soup with some gluten-free tortillas or cauliflower tortillas as a side. It also works with corn tortillas which are low calorie and most are also gluten-free or almond flour tortillas for those who are following a Paleo diet.
- You can also make some Mexican street corn salad to go with it if you have a few extra minutes, or pair it with some healthy taco salad if you want a more filling meal.
- If you’re making this soup for a get-together you’re hosting, consider pairing it with some zucchini taco boats or a crockpot chili cheese dip.
Expert Tips
- Soup Consistency: We thicken the soup using arrowroot added to the vegetables at the start of cooking. It helps to make the soup a bit thicker but you can leave it out if you want a brothy soup.
- Adding Grains: If you are adding uncooked rice or quinoa to the soup you will need to extend the cooking time to account for cooking the grain. About 20 minutes for white rice, 40 minutes for brown rice, and 10 minutes for quinoa. You can also add cooked grains in the last few minutes and just cook to warm them up.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. To make it in a slow cooker, you will want to use raw chicken breasts. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and add all the ingredients (except the arrowroot powder and cauliflower rice) to the crockpot. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When the chicken is cooked to 165° F, remove it to a plate and shred it using two forks. Add it back to the slow cooker along with the arrowroot powder and cauliflower rice and stir to combine. If you want to add rice or quinoa, add it to the slow cooker in the last 30-45 minutes of cooking.
You can, however it's best to use raw chicken. Use the saute setting to cook the vegetables first. Then add all the ingredients, subbing uncooked chicken breasts, except for the arrowroot powder and cauliflower rice to the pot. Pressure cook for 30 minutes and let the pressure naturally release. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it using two forks. Add it back into the pot along with the remaining ingredients and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. The residual heat will activate the thickener and heat the cauliflower rice. If you want to add rice or quinoa, add it along with all the other ingredients before cooking under pressure.
All methods of this soup will work with uncooked chicken breasts. You can either diced the raw chicken into chunks or cook the chicken whole and shred at the end. Add it to the pot along with the other ingredients to cook and the chicken will cook in the broth. If using whole chicken breasts you may need to simmer the soup for 20-30 minutes to fully cook the chicken.
More Delicious Chicken Soup Recipes
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Healthy Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 lb Chicken Breast shredded and pre-cooked
- 1 cup White Onion diced
- 3 tablespoons Garlic minced
- 2 Bell Peppers diced
- 2 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder or corn startch
- 1 ¼ cups Red Enchilada Sauce
- 3 cups Chicken Broth no sodium
- 14 oz Diced Tomatoes with juices
- 4 oz Green Chiles canned
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Lime Juice or lemon juice
- 12 oz Cauliflower Rice frozen (optional add)
- Salt to taste
- Avocado and cilantro to garnish
Instructions
Stovetop Enchilada Soup Instructions
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and bell peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until the veggies are fragrant 3-5 minutes.
- Add the arrowroot powder to coat the veggies. Slowly pour in the broth while whisking to prevent lumps until fully combined.
- Add the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, chiles and cumin. Stir the pot and turn the heat to high to bring the pot to a boil.
- Once the pot is boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Add the shredded chicken, cauliflower rice and lime juice.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes. Then serve garnished with avocado slices and cilantro.
Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup Instructions
- Add all the ingredients, substituting raw chicken breasts for the cooked chicken, to the slow cooker except for the arrowroot powder.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours.
- Remove chicken and use two forks to shred. Add it back to the slow cooker with the arrowroot powder or cornstarch and the cauliflower rice and stir to thicken. Serve with garnish!
Instant Pot Enchilada Soup Instructions
- Cook the onions, garlic, and bell pepper using the saute setting of your Instant Pot.
- Then add all the ingredients, using raw chicken breasts, in place of the cooked chicken, to the Instant Pot except for the arrowroot powder.
- Cover the pot and set to seal. Pressure cook 30 minutes. Note, it will take time for the pot to come to pressure.
- Once the pot is done cooking, manually release the pressure by moving the dial to release the pressure. After the steam has left, remove the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken breast. It will shred easily from being pressure cooked.
- Stir in the arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce and add the cauliflower rice. Stir and serve with garnish!
Notes
- 1/4th of the recipe equals one serving or approximately 1 2/3 cups.
- Feel free to skip the arrowroot powder if you want a more broth-like soup.
- If you are adding uncooked rice, potatoes or quinoa to the soup, you will need to extend the cooking time to account for cooking them. For the stove, add about 20 minutes for white rice, 40 minutes for brown rice, 20 minutes for potatoes, and 10 minutes for quinoa. For the slow cooker, add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking, and in the Instant Pot you can add it at the start of cooking. You can also add cooked grains in the last few minutes and just cook to warm them up.
- I recommend using raw chicken breasts if you are cooking this soup in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. You can also use raw chicken breasts on the stove. However, you will need to extend the cooking time to 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to 165° F.
- Garnish your bowl of soup with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, a dollop of Greek yogurt, or even a bit of cheese if you want!
Nutrition
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